You will find the Prayers of the Faithful from this weekend’s Masses for Pentecost (May 27-28, 2023). We hope you find them helpful in your prayerful reflections this week.

Spirit of the living God, from Holy Wisdom brooding on the waters of creation in the beginning of all, to the Spirit with us now and enabling us to worship, you have been gently and powerfully at work in our history. Be with us now as we pray:

Inflame in us and in our church a passion for justice and equality, that we may know the cleansing of our prejudices and fears, proclaim your freedom boldly and care for our earth with humility. We pray to the Lord.

Spirit of wisdom be within us in our life’s journey as individuals, families, and church community, gently guiding us along right paths. We pray to the Lord

Spirit of gentleness, touch us anew, releasing in us all that we are afraid of: that we may know your acceptance of us and freely accept and embrace others. We pray to the Lord.

Spirit of power, hold us in our powerlessness: that we may know your strength and become a voice for the voiceless, healing for the wounded and empowerment for the weak. We pray to the Lord.

Spirit of life and hope, encircle and guide our young people who have received Confirmation and First Eucharist this day. Bless their parents and families. May the gifts of these sacraments lead them to life-long relationships with you, Jesus and the Father. Bless their teachers with the consolation of knowing that what they have done is valued and precious. We pray to the Lord.

Spirit of comfort, draw near to all who are grieving, suffering or in pain; in your graciousness bring hope, consolation, and healing. We pray to the Lord.

Spirit of life, bless with the fulness of life beyond this life, all our loved ones. At this liturgy we especially remember

4:30 PM  Alicia Coyne by Ken & Mary Pinkham

7:30 AM The People of the Parish both Living & Deceased

9:30 AM  Joanne Paquette by Venise & Dick Roy

5:00 PM Virginia Barra by Margaret Kane, Patty Kilmartin & Kathleen Joyce

We pray to the Lord

In the power of the Spirit we entrust these prayers to you, our loving God. Through your Spirit enable us to be identified as God’s people by our love and joy, our peace and patience, our kindness and generosity, our faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May we shine as lights in the world to your glory.  Amen.

We hope you find these Prayers of the Faithful from the 7th Sunday of Easter (May 20-21, 2023) to be helpful in your prayer and reflection this week.

God, we are nearing the end of the long Easter season, a time when Jesus readied his friends to continue his mission and gave them what they needed, the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we present our prayers today, give us the wisdom and courage to bring the Good News to our world. We pray:

As Mary and the disciples prayed in that first novena before Pentecost, we pray for what we need to be people of faith, of hope, compassion and mercy. We pray to the Lord.

You are bringing to our community families seeking baptism for their children. Bless these newest friends of Jesus. Give their parents the ability to show their children who Jesus is. Help our community to support them by our prayers and by our welcome and care for them. We pray to the Lord.

Next Saturday 19 of our young people will celebrate Pentecost by receiving the sacrament of confirmation. They will also receive Eucharist for the first time. Open their hearts to your love. Help them to seek that love and live in it for the rest of their lives, we pray to the Lord.

We ask that our hearts be softened and our minds be attentive to the needs of those who are suffering in our communities and world, the abused and exploited, the destitute and dispirited, the homeless and hungry, the lonely and unwelcome, those battling addictions, those troubled by spirits that are not of God. We pray to the Lord.

God, help us to see how to bring Good News where conflict is a reality and peace but a dream; where greed is honored and generosity is mocked; where injustice reigns and justice is trampled underfoot; where the powerful are heard and the powerless are ignored; where people are discriminated against because of race, creed, gender and sexuality, where the earth is abused and where honest work is derided or denied, for, God, it is your desire that things do not have to be as they are. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for our neighbors and loved ones and all who have died, that they might now, be seeing you face to face and that their prayers will be a source of help to us. At this liturgy we especially commend to you:

4:30 PM The People of the Parish both Living & Deceased

7:30 AM Joseph Louis Aceto by Kevin & Ann Marie Rogers

9:30 AM Margaret G. O’Brien Aceto by Iris Micucci

5:00 PM Pamela Craven by Margaret Kane, Patty Kilmartin & Kathleen Joyce

We pray to the Lord

We entrust these prayers to your care, loving God. Give us a glimpse of your kingdom, a glimpse of your glory, an openness to your rule, and your Spirit to guide us. Hear us, we pray, through Christ the Risen and Ascended One. Amen

We offer these Prayers of the Faithful for Ascension Day, Thursday, May 18, 2023

On this day we affirm that Jesus has not gone away from us, but is closer to us than ever. In Jesus’ name let us pray for our needs and the needs of all people.

That the compassion of Jesus, will fill the leaders of our church and our world with concern for others, with mercy and a desire to do all they can to welcome and heal those who are hurting, confused, or in need, we pray to the Lord.

That the Spirit, who is an enemy of apathy, will fill us with her energy and a desire to share the Good News of God’s unlimited love with our neighbors and in our community, we pray to the Lord.

For women and men who are using the gifts of the Spirit given them in their service in government, in business and in the helping professions, we pray to the Lord.

For people, for congregations and organizations quietly working to welcome refugees and asylum-seekers; for those seeking to find ways to feed the hungry of our community and world, for Christian teachers, parents and youth workers using their gifts to celebrate the Kingdom among the young, we pray to the Lord.

For one another that we, through the nudge of the Spirit in the silence of our hearts and through words of encouragement and invitation from one another might discover or rediscover the gifts God’s Spirit has given us and that we might find ways to use them to benefit our community, we pray to the Lord.

For our loved ones and others who have walked the path of this life and are now with God. May they now see, face-to-face, what is promised to us all. At this liturgy we especially entrust to you:

Vigil 5:30 PM Sharon Ives Fournier by Kathleen O’Connell

Vigil 7:00 PM People of the Parish both Living & Deceased

THURS: 9:00 AM Helen Polito by Mary & Jim

We pray to the Lord

We place in your hands and heart these people and others we hold in our hearts. Give to us, O God, a vision of your kingdom, a glimpse of your glory, an openness to your rule, and your spirit to guide us. Hear us, we pray, through Christ, the risen and ascended one. Amen.

We share these Prayers of the Faithful from the weekend of the 6th Sunday of Easter (May 14, 2023) for your further reflection this week.

Jesus has not left us. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us always. Through the power of the Spirit let us give voice to the needs of people everywhere. We pray:

That the church, in this place and every place, may work actively and practically for justice and peace and the human dignity of all people, we pray to the Lord.

Our children and grandchildren are watching us. Let us teach them by what we say and do, here and at home: that every human person is loved by God and that words and actions that carry bigotry or hate are not Christian. We pray to the Lord.

This weekend we pray for mothers and all who have been “as mothers” for us. Grant our living mothers your help and blessing, be close to those who would be mothers but are not able. Hold tenderly close to your heart our mothers and grandmothers who have died. We pray to the Lord.

Some of us are single people, never married or not married now. Sometimes we can feel left out. Bless our singles with a richness of life, rewarding relationships and a knowledge of their important place in the life of our community and church. We pray to the Lord.

This week some of our sisters will be on the ACTS retreat. We pray that they may be open to the Holy Spirit and grow closer to God and to each other as sisters in Christ. We pray to the Lord.

Around the world today people are praying for the people of Palestine and the occupied Palestinian territories. We add our hearts and prayers that a peaceful and just solution can be found to the struggles there and that fear and danger no longer threaten life in the Holy Land. We pray to the Lord.

That those who have gone before us in death may enter the place Christ has prepared for them. At this liturgy we especially remember:

4:30 PM Priscilla Whitney by Mary Ellen & Terry White

7:30 AM The People of the Parish both Living & Deceased

9:30 AM Jimmy & Kay Napi by Robert & Linda

5:00 PM  James C. Driscoll, III by Deacon John & Paula

We pray to the Lord.

God, we entrust these prayers to you, along with those we hold in our hearts. We are witnesses to your love, God our Maker. We are witnesses to the peace that Jesus gives us. We are witnesses to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Surprised, challenged, healed, and nourished, bless us and send us out in justice and joy. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We post these Prayers of the Faithful from the weekend of the 5th Sunday of Easter (May 6-7, 2023) with the sincere hope that they are helpful to you in your reflections and prayer this week.

Loving God, as it was for the earliest disciples of the Risen Christ, our world is a place of many needs, and of people needing attention and help. We ask your grace as we try to understand and respond.

Help us to feel for the people the world (and sometimes we) avoid, those we call strange, those suffering bereavement, those never or seldom employed, those who fear there is no meaning to their lives…we pray to the Lord.

The experts say a quarter of our young people in school have used drugs this past year. Help us to help them, welcome them, assist them in finding a better way. Help us to see and care for the young who have no parents able to provide safety, food, or love. We pray to the Lord.

Help us to feel for those who have been abused in life – physically or emotionally. May responsible persons and institutions acknowledge that pain and provide real assistance to them. Help us not to demonize the abusers, either. Despite what they have done, they, too, are children of our One God. We pray to the Lord.

Help us to feel for those who are so deeply conscious of their failures and sin that they struggle to believe in forgiveness. Help us all when a remembrance of a long-past failure undermines our belief in forgiveness. We pray to the Lord.

Help us to feel for those living in Ukraine, Sudan and other places of great danger and suffering. Show us ways to express our sorrow that can help bring an end to these evils. We pray to the Lord.

Help us to trust in the promise of eternal life for our loved ones, of healing from all that harms them, and, one day, us. At this liturgy we especially entrust to you:

4:30 PM  Joanne S. McHugh by Jeannine Poulin

7:30 AM  Joseph Louis Aceto by Cathleen, Bob & Brian Reardon

9:30 AM The People of the Parish both Living & Deceased

5:00 PM Barbara Nelson Friedlander by Stephanie Lorigan

We pray to the Lord.

God of all love, we entrust these prayers and needs to you. “To the lost Christ shows his face; to the unloved he gives his embrace; to those who cry in pain or disgrace, Christ makes, with his friends, a touching place.” Help us to be friends of Christ and a touching place for those hurting in our world. Amen

(Prayers inspired by the song “A Touching Place” John L Bell).

We provide these Prayers of the Faithful from the 4th Sunday of Easter —  Good Shepherd Sunday April 29-30, 2023 — for your own prayer life and reflections.

God, these Easter weeks we wonder at Jesus’ resurrection, at the hope you have given us. We remember the appearances Jesus made to those close to Him and we pray that our eyes may be open to His presence today. We pray:

We think of Mary, who loved you so much and took risks to be close to you. We name before you those we know to be in special need at this time – those who are sick, lonely and afraid…enfold them in your love and presence. Be close to them and to others not known to us…we pray to the Lord.

We think of Thomas with his questions. You recognized his need. We offer you our concerns for our world. Sometimes it is hard to see your presence in events that unfold. Comfort us and take away our doubt as we pray for reconciliation and hope in the world in which we live. We pray to the Lord.

We think of the women who went to your tomb, so sad and wanting to be near you. We offer ourselves and ask for your reassurance to help us reach out to the communities in which we live and work, that we will make a difference to other people’s lives by sharing all that you have given us; that, through grace, lives may be changed. We pray to the Lord.

We think of Matthew, Michael, Bo, and Jon, baptized, and confirmed in this parish at Easter. Bless them in their new lives. We think today of Tyler who will be baptized, confirmed, and receive Eucharist this weekend, and our children who will receive the sacraments next month. We pray to the Lord.

We think of one another and your hopes for us. Open our hearts to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we may recognize your invitations to happiness as a “vocation” to the single or married life, consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, priesthood or the permanent diaconate, other ways of serving our communities. We pray especially for vocations to the Society of Jesus. We pray to the Lord.

You ask us to think of the Risen Christ as a place of safety, of refuge, and protection against all that would hurt us. You ask us to follow Him in a way of living that will be life-giving for us and for the world. Help us to follow. We pray to the Lord.

As we do each week we think of our loved ones and entrust them to your care. At this liturgy we especially remember

4:30 PM Marquita Guinoo by her Daughter Ricamor & the Guinoo Family

7:30 AM Raymond Thibodeau, Sr. by Jean & Family

9:30 AM  Caroline Ridge by Terry Goodwin

5:00 PM The People of the Parish both Living & Deceased

We pray to the Lord.

Jesus is our shepherd, our brother, our friend and savior. Help us to trust Him to lead us through the green pastures of life and through its dark valleys, too, bringing us safely home at the last. Amen

Prayers from “Eastertide Prayers of Intercession” Fire and Bread. Ruth Burgess. Ed.